Summer on Cape May

by Monica Garner

Genres: Friendship; Women's Fiction

Synopsis

Set over one summer in the charming seaside resort of Cape May, New Jersey, amid the planning of a lavish wedding three longtime friends find that past secrets, new loves, and hard choices test their bond like never before. Perfect for fans of Rochelle Alers, Rhonda McKnight, and Susan Mallery.

Fast friends since forever, Lu, Kenya, and Natalia share a special love for the historical beach town of Cape May. For Lu, it was a welcome escape from the corporate arena into a simpler life—owning a B&B with her soon-to-be-husband, Zach . . . Kenya fell for Cape May's tranquil shores and believed she and her high school sweetheart would be there together forever . . . And family vineyard owner Natalia feels it’s the perfect place to complete her happy marriage with the baby—or babies—she desperately longs for . . .

But as the trio plans Lu's lavish wedding, the bride-to-be is stunned when the estranged father she thought was dead shows up to make amends—and throws her every certainty about family and love into heartbreaking doubt. Meanwhile, widowed Kenya is drawn to a kind, attractive stranger, even as she wonders if passion is enough to risk her future on. And when Natalia uncovers an unthinkable betrayal, the secrets she and her friends have kept from each other will explode across the long summer nights . . .

Moving and relatable, here is a captivating story of true sisterhood, and the ties that challenge us—and help us heal.

Release date: April 29, 2025

Publisher: Kensington Books

Print pages: 320

Sample

The sun had started to set over Cape May. Crickets chirped their medley in the distance, and waves from the ocean were much gentler now, not like earlier in the day when they’d crashed against the shore more aggressively. Clearly, there was a storm brewing. Weather in late spring on Cape May could be temperamental. Chill bumps danced up and down Lu’s arm as the temperature began to drop and the night air drew in. Muni Long could be heard on the stereo in the house, crooning a familiar tune. Lu relaxed on the veranda, her favorite place to decompress after her day at the inn. She sipped on an oak-aged Pinot Noir, a favorite from her friend Natalia Oliveri’s winery.

Lu noticed Natalia’s husband, Nic, walking the stretch of beach toward her, shoulders slumped, the usual pep in his step nonexistent. She waved hello just as she did every single time when she saw him on his nightly walk. Usually they would exchange a How’s it going? or Beautiful night, isn’t it? that would lead into a more in-depth conversation about what was going on in their lives, but tonight was different.

As he got closer, Lu noticed the look on Nic’s face was as wrong as two left shoes. The wrinkle in his forehead, his pursed lips, his eyebrows raised—all alarming. He plopped down on the stairs of her veranda and rested his back against the railing as he did every night. Tonight, however, he was a mess—a real basket case. She asked if he wanted a cognac because that was what he drank when her fiancé, Zach, entertained him and the two of them hung out until all hours of the night, swapping stories and roaring with laughter.

Lu went inside and poured him that cognac and then returned to the veranda, handing it to him. He didn’t take a sip. Instead, he finished it in a few gulps and then handed the glass back to her.

Nic took a deep breath and then let it all out for Lu to hear. “I don’t know how to deal with Natalia and this desperation she has with wanting a baby. Every week there are doctors’ appointments, treatments. Just tonight she told me that she wants to consider a surrogate, maybe pay someone to come and live with us. That’s something that only happens in movies.”

“I know. It’s all she talks about.” Lu was becoming equally concerned about her friend. “But I know that this is something she desperately wants.”

“I want a child, too, just as much. But I want it to happen naturally. I don’t want us to go through the pain of losing another child.”

“Well, Nic, you must understand, you have a child already—with someone else. She doesn’t. That makes all the difference. She wants her own child.”

“I get it and I can respect that, but lately it seems to be more of an obsession than a desire.”

“She just wants to make things right.”

Had she really said those words aloud? She’d been thinking it, knew the reason for Natalia’s obsession—but it wasn’t her place to interfere in their marriage. Yes, she’d actually said it aloud.

“What do you mean, make things right?” Nic asked with eyes bulging and eyebrows raised.

She looked away, hoping he wouldn’t press any further. She felt all the discomfort of knowing something that might help him understand her friend, but again, it wasn’t her place to interfere.

“Lu, what are you saying?” he asked. “Or what is it that you’re not saying?”

Lu sighed heavily. Her body tensed up and she trembled a bit. Betraying her friend’s confidence was not okay. But if it was for Natalia’s own good, could it really be considered a betrayal? A myriad of other questions began to tumble in and out of her brain. Questions about whether what she knew would help Nic understand his wife better. Whether or not telling him would be for the good of their marriage or cause its demise. By telling him, he would then understand Natalia’s obsession, go home, hug his wife, and forgive her. Natalia was a good-hearted person. She needed his grace.

Lu’s mind raced. “I don’t know, Nic. Natalia overthinks things. You know that.”

“I honestly don’t know what to do. I don’t know how much more I can take.” His Sicilian accent was more pronounced, the wrinkle in his forehead deeper as he ran his fingers through his dark brown coils.

“I’ve said too much already. I’ve overstepped.”

Lu’s heart ached. She had the power to stop the hurt—to change it all for them. Obviously revealing Natalia’s secret to Nic was risky. It occurred to her that she had the ability to save her friend’s marriage. Natalia might be mad at first, but she would forgive her eventually.

Nic looked at Lu, tears brimming from his eyes. “You must tell me what’s going on with her, Lu. Maybe she needs some space, some time to herself. Maybe she even needs to talk to someone—a therapist. Maybe we need to separate for a while— try to figure things out—because I’m drowning in the uncertainty.”

The words maybe we need to separate for a while struck a chord. Her hair coiled on the nape of her neck. She bit her nails, a habit she’d tried desperately to break. Those nails didn’t stand a chance when she was deeply troubled about something. The last thing she wanted was for him to abandon her friend. She loved Natalia like a sister and felt the need to protect her from being hurt.

Natalia was pretty fragile. She wouldn’t survive if Nic left.

She had to tell him.

Her chest tightened before the words tumbled out of her mouth. “Her last miscarriage wasn’t by chance.”

“What? What are you talking about?” Nic stared at her as if she had uttered the most ridiculous thing he’d ever heard.

“She caused it.” She looked away from him and watched as the waves rippled against the shore. The scent of the ocean crept gently across her nose.

“What are you saying, Lu?”

“Natalia had a terrible headache one night and found a bottle of prescription meds that the doctor had prescribed months earlier for pain—something she had in the medicine cabinet. I don’t know exactly what it was that she took, or how much, but it was fatal to the baby. She wasn’t thinking. She just wanted the pain to go away,” she choked out. “That’s what caused her to lose the baby.”

Lu exhaled. She almost felt a sense of relief, having gotten it off her chest, but that feeling was short-lived after she glanced back at Nic. The look of disdain on his face made her instantly regret betraying her friend’s trust. It was too late, though, to take the confession back. Her words floated through the night air, trickling as the ocean breeze had just done moments before. And now she’d have to deal with whatever came next.

He stood up, his stance defensive. “I remember that night very well. She called me in a panic because she was bleeding.”

“I took her to the ER because you were traveling for work,” Lu reminded him.

“She blamed me for not being there!” His voice raised quickly. “She blamed me.”

Seeing the anguish in Nic’s eyes, Lu wished she could take back her words, every single syllable.

He stepped off the porch, nearly stumbling. His imbalance didn’t seem as if it was from the cognac but from anger. He was headed in the direction of their home, much sooner than Lu wanted. She was desperate now. She needed him to put his own feelings aside and consider hers. It might’ve been selfish, but it was what she needed. She nearly tumbled off the veranda to run after him. Sheer panic rushed through her body; it felt as if her legs might give out before she reached him. She desperately needed for him to hear her out. “You can’t tell her that I told you. She will never forgive me. She will hate me for betraying her trust.”

“She killed our baby with prescription drugs and you’re talking to me about betrayal and trust,” he spat out. The tears rolled down his face.

“It wasn’t intentional. You know that Natalia would never hurt anyone intentionally.”

“It’s the reason for all this.” His voice was still raised. “This . . . this obsession with conceiving again. To cover up what she did.”

“She just wants a baby, Nic. She wants to be a mother.”

“She’s unfit to be a mother!” His words stung.

Lu understood his pain, but she had to make him comprehend her position. “Nic, she will come to hate me if she ever finds out that I told you.” The pain in her chest was back, but more intense now. She could feel her heart speeding up, beating rapidly, could hear it in her head. She hurt for Natalia. She hurt for Nic. She hurt for herself. She hoped that Nic had heard her plea and would give her some empathy. She searched for a softening of his stance, a look that said her secret was safe.

Instead, he stormed off, walking briskly back up the stretch of the beach toward the home he shared with his wife. He was angry, and Lu feared what he might do.

“Nic Oliveri, do you hear me?” Lu called to him from the veranda.

He kept walking, his arms swinging back and forth with great intensity.

Lu walked back to the veranda, picked up her wineglass, and tossed the rest of the liquid to the back of her throat. Then she paced from one end to the other, her bare feet making a pitter-patter sound against the wood. Her heart pounded, feeling as if it might explode. Her mind raced as she contemplated calling Natalia, but decided against it. Her eyes veered toward the scarlet pimpernel flowers that grew in her flower bed next to the veranda. One of its petals blew with the wind and landed at her feet. She picked it up, smelled the hoppy, citrusy scent. She was reminded of the old tale named after the flower, The Scarlet Pimpernel, written by Baroness Orczy in the early twentieth century—a story she’d read in college. She kept a copy on a bookshelf in one of the rooms of her inn, Lu’s Seaside Inn. She thought it ironic that the petal blew at her feet now, at this very moment, because at the center of the novel was loyalty—loyalty to one’s country, one’s spouse, and one’s family. Lu examined her own loyalty toward Natalia and found that she’d been anything but. Instead, she had betrayed her friend. As the petal of the red flower, with its winged corners, blew away with the wind, she wondered if her friend would ever forgive her.

“What have I done?” she whispered to herself. She slid her behind back into the chair, pulled her knees into her chest, and wrapped her arms around her legs. Tears burned her cheekbones. She needed Zach there to hold her, to assure her that everything would be all right. He was good at that—rescuing her. She found solace in him. His consolation was exactly what she needed now because she knew with every fiber of her being that if Nic left Natalia over this, it would be her burden to bear. She trembled at the very thought.

Three Weeks Later

Lu heard the voice on the other end of the phone, but she needed a minute to gather herself. To remember where she was, or better yet who she was. When he’d called a few minutes before, she’d hung up, figuring it was just a prank. She’d only answered in the first place because she thought it was someone calling to make a reservation at the inn. But here he was, calling again, disturbing her peace. This time she listened closely, especially because the voice was familiar. She’d heard it before, though she couldn’t place when or where.

“Are you there?”

She stood on the veranda barefoot, facing the ocean, a ceramic mug in her hand filled with a rich brew of coffee, watching as the waves moved swiftly back and forth. Usually in the mornings the waves were gentle, moving with a nice peaceful rhythm. She would have her coffee while she planned her day and reveled in the calmness of the ocean. The calmness reminded her of why she lived on Cape May, why she’d traded the fast life for a more peaceful and tranquil existence. Today the waves were downright aggressive, as if they sensed the conflict around her. Not just the conflict from her conversation with Nic a few weeks before, but now this.

“Hello? Lualhati?”

No one called her by that name but her mother. To almost everyone else, she was simply Lu.

“Lualhati?”

“I’m here,” she managed to say. “I’m still here.”

“I know this is a lot for you to take in. And I’m sorry it had to be by phone instead of in person. But you see, I’m dying—”

She steadied herself by grabbing the arm of the wrought-iron chair she’d picked up at one of the antique shops on the island before cutting him off. “Wait a minute, let me get this straight. You called to tell me that you’re my father and you’re dying? What kind of game are you playing? My father is dead.” She sat—more like fell into the chair—and rested her head against the seat back, shutting her eyes for a moment, trying to make sense of it all.

“I’m sure your mother had her reasons for not being truthful with you.”

“How do I know that you’re being truthful?” She breathed deeply from her diaphragm to manage the quiver in her voice before speaking again. She didn’t even realize she was shaking.

“About being your father or about dying?”

Her father. Yana Abalos, her mother, had always been the only parent she’d ever known, yet here was this stranger who knew things—intimate things about her—and she wasn’t quite ready for it. She was so confused. Her heart felt as if it was going to explode inside her chest. She needed to wrap her mind around all of this.

“About all of it.” The word dying was the reason for that awful lump she was suddenly feeling in her throat.

“I don’t know anyone who would lie about dying, especially if they had nothing to gain. As for being your father, well, you were born at Mercy General Hospital here in Sacramento. April 2, 1978, around six o’clock in the evening. You weighed six pounds, seven ounces, and you were the most beautiful girl I’d ever laid eyes on. You had big, bright eyes like your mother’s.” There was no denying he’d been infatuated with both Yana and the baby he spoke about, voice dripping with pride. “You had a minor respiratory issue when you were born. They kept you in the hospital for a few days for observation.”

The fact that he knew about her respiratory issues sent her emotions into overdrive.

“I grew out of it.”

“You didn’t have any other problems, at least until the age of two.”

By the time she was two, he’d vanished.

“Why did you vanish after I turned two?” she asked, almost in a whisper. Lu frowned and then sighed deeply. She was alternating between wanting to shout a few expletives and slam down the phone and wanting to ask more questions to find out the truth. Her patience was wearing thin.

“I didn’t vanish. Your mother took you away. She left California and moved to New Jersey with you. She cut all ties. When I found out where she was living, I flew there, wanting to see you, but Yana wouldn’t allow it.”

She’d somewhat resolved that this man on the other end of her phone, this stranger who had interrupted her usually calm morning, this person who had suddenly turned her world upside down with a simple phone call, quite possibly might be who he claimed to be—her father.

“How did you find me this time?”

“I called your old law firm and got a hold of your former assistant. She told me about the inn.”

“What prompted you to call my old law firm?”

“I’ve followed you over the years, Lualhati. I knew when you graduated high school, college, and law school. The Press of Atlantic City did a spotlight on your law firm. That’s where I learned that you were one of their up-and-coming attorneys. You’d interned with them, came highly recommended. I was quite proud.” He was silent for a moment. “Yana warned me to stay away. She didn’t want me complicating your life, so I watched from a distance, until now. It was imperative that I find you now.”

It was only seventy-two degrees on the veranda, but she could barely breathe from the heat that burned so deeply within her. At the age of forty-five, she was experiencing personal hot flashes more often than she could count. She exercised—did the treadmill every morning—watched her sugar intake, and tried to stay fit to minimize them, but they were persistent. The things women endured. She was grateful that neither she nor Zach wanted children because she didn’t know if she’d survive a nine-month bout with pregnancy.

“I need some time to digest all of this.”

“I understand, sweetheart.”

“Don’t call me that. You’ve not earned the right to call me anything endearing.”

“I’m sorry. Take your time. It’s a lot to take in all at once. I would like for you to fly out here to Sacramento. I’d like to see you, talk with you. But more importantly, I would like to discuss my will, and I would like for you to meet my children, your siblings—Milan, Jess, and John Jr. I’ll take care of all your expenses. Just come. Please think about it and let me know.”

It was happening too fast. Just a moment ago, he was dead to her. Then he was alive and knew details that only a parent would know. Now he was trying to interject himself into her life, and suddenly there were all these other moving pieces—death, a will, and siblings. Siblings?

“I will. I’ll think about it.” Because, clearly, thinking was not something she could do right now. She needed time to sort out this kaleidoscope of new emotions, time to stop her head from spinning, and her heart from feeling like it might explode. Time to get a grasp on reality. “That’s all I can promise. It’s not the best time, though. I’m getting married soon and I—”

“You’re getting married? When?”

“In September.”

“That’s wonderful. Congratulations.”

“Thank you.” The awkwardness of the moment was so thick, and so present, she was sure he felt it, too. She felt she needed to say something, explain something. Fathers walked their daughters down the aisle at weddings. But her mother, Yana, would be escorting her in his stead. Because he was dead, right? And speaking of Yana—she needed to get her on the phone. Immediately! “I will let you know what I decide.”

“I will be waiting patiently for your call, Lualhati. Bye for now.”

And with that, John Samuels was gone, and she instantly felt his absence. She wanted to talk to him again. The thought that she might have a living, breathing father intrigued her. Having a father in her life would certainly add value. He’d be the piece that she’d always felt was missing. Hearing his voice on the other end of her phone felt surreal. She’d thought about him so often over the years.

All she’d had was a black-and-white photo of him taken with Yana in the Philippines, he in his military uniform and her with an orchid in her hair. He was tall and handsome, dark-skinned. He had a military crew cut and a thick mustache. He held on to Yana’s small waist, and her mother looked happy.

Lu kept the photo tucked away in a small treasure chest where she kept all sorts of things that were important to her. Yana had given her John Samuels’s dog tags and an old military identification card. Also in her treasure chest was a letter that he’d written to Yana, promising her the world. There was no doubt he had loved her.

She dialed Yana’s number, pacing back and forth. There was no answer, so she walked to the wraparound veranda. The porch had been what first attracted her to this property, that and the gorgeous chef’s kitchen, and the view of the ocean from almost every room in the house. She loved Cape May and all its surrounding beauty.

She was caught up in her feelings, so anxious to get her mother on the phone that she hadn’t even noticed Zach standing in the doorway, observing her.

“You okay?”

So much had happened during her conversation with John. She didn’t know if she could even put it into words because there was still some doubt in her mind as to whether it was real or not. Zach’s concern for her was the thing that made her love him so much, though. She loved him with everything in her, which was why she was marrying him in a few weeks. But this—she needed to absorb this for a while before she brought him into the fold. She needed to not only understand but accept what she had just been told. She needed to reach Yana. Most of all, she needed to compose herself, think fast, because Zach wasn’t leaving until he knew she was okay.

“I’m fine. Some craziness surrounding Yana.” She waved her hand in a sweeping motion, hoping that would deter any more of his questions.

“What has she done this time?”

“You know she’s always up to something. That mother of mine is so extra.” She forced a nervous laugh and then changed the subject. “Is everyone having breakfast in the dining room?”

Her staff had been inherited from the previous owners of the inn but came with a good sense of the business and invaluable expertise. She couldn’t have asked for a better group of professionals. Marissa, her housekeeper, assisted with chores and the run of the house, while Max, her morning chef, prepared breakfast and lunch daily for her guests. Lorenzo was her evening chef, who, with his exotic dinners, offered her guests something more than just a regular meal. He took them on culinary adventures.

Her regular guests at the inn deserved to be pampered and she went out of her way to make sure they were. They were loyal to her and her business. Most enjoyed a short stay-cation or two throughout the year. Some spent the entire summer or holiday. All were equally important to Lu.

“Most are, except the Thompsons. I think they’re sleeping in today.”

“Good for them. That’s what vacations are for.”

“Can I replenish your coffee?” he asked, his fingers stroking the few little hairs on his chin.

A beautiful chocolate man with just a tad bit of gray in his hair, Zach stood at almost six feet tall. It was his perfect smile that had first attracted her to him. That is, once she woke up after fainting right in the middle of the Asian supermarket. He had revived her and then stayed with her until the paramedics arrived, even rode in the back of the ambulance to the hospital. An off-duty physician, he had been her angel in disguise that day. He was still her angel.

“No, I’ll be in soon.”

“What is it, sweetheart? What’s going on?” He stepped out onto the porch. “I know when something is bothering you. You start being weird and your eyes get all shifty.”

“My eyes aren’t shifty.” She laughed.

“Your eyes are shifty, babe.” His smile was like the sunshine.

He knew there was something she wasn’t saying. She was terrible at hiding things from him, especially something that had her emotions in a whirl, like the conversation she’d had with Nic a few weeks earlier about Natalia and the whole baby thing. She hadn’t told him about that. It was something that she’d wanted to forget happened, hoping it would dissipate. She certainly didn’t want to tell him about this John Samuels thing either, not yet at least. Not until she’d had time to make sense of it herself, and not until she’d had time to speak to Yana. But he wasn’t going to leave until she gave him something. She hadn’t wanted to spring it on him in passing, but he left her no choice.

“I just received the oddest phone call from a man cla. . .